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NHL Picks

Sharks vs. Wild to To Offer Solid Value for our NHL Picks

The Sharks continue to go from hot to cold on the flip of a switch. They’re not expected to keep it up, though, as they’re a big dog on the NHL odds.

The San Jose Sharks Can Win Because…
They’ve been playing well on the road lately.They scored a 3-0 win in Anaheim on New Year’s Eve and Anaheim is a fairly tough place to play. Then last night, they won in Winnipeg and while the Jets don’t have a huge home-court advantage, they have been a decent team over the last month. The Sharks are a competitive team these days because their goaltending gives them a chance to win each and every night. The Sharks have allowed just 19 goals in their last nine road games, which boils down to 2.11 per game. That’s about as good as it gets.

Minnesota has completely fallen off the table and they have not been a very reliable team of late. They started the season 11-7-0 but they have just seven wins in 25 games since. More recently, they’ve lost seven of nine and are coming off one of their worst losses of the year, a 7-1 failure in Dallas to the Stars.

The Wild are ripe for the picking and they’re simply laying too much juice here for a team that’s not playing well. Take the Sharks with your NHL picks.

The Minnesota Wild Can Win Because…
The Sharks are in a tight spot. They played last night in Winnipeg and now have a quick turnaround to get Minnesota overnight. That’s going to be tough to do – especially for a team that normally plays in the Pacific time zone that’s across the country. For the Sharks, this will actually be their third game in four nights in a third different city.

The Sharks are a dicey road bet as they are very inconsistent, so keep this in mind when looking over the NHL odds. Sure, they won as a dog in Winnipeg and Anaheim in their last two road games but they also have road losses in Edmonton and Buffalo in their last five away games. That’s pathetic. On top of that, they’ll be without one of their best weapons as Joe Thornton is still nursing an injury.

The Wild are not playing particularly well right now but playing at home against a tired team that’s a bit shorthanded should give them the edge.

Outlook
This is very tricky game to cap. Travel figures to hamper the Sharks as this will be their third game in four nights and they’re in a back-to-back, but at the same time, Minnesota is not a good team at all right now. Yes, they’re at home but they’ve dropped four of their last five at the Xcel Center. Under no circumstances should this team be laying this kind of juice. While I’m reluctant to be the Sharks on many levels, the value is simply too good to pass up here. The Wild should be in the -120 or -130 range here. At this price, we’re forced to take a shot with the Sharks.